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movingtospore
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Post by movingtospore » Tue, 11 Mar 2014 8:47 pm

Strong Eagle wrote:
the lynx wrote:
Brah wrote:Happened upon this thread and thought it would be good to hear from the two of you who left occasionally to see how once you're distanced from here how it a) feels to be away and b) how it feels to be back, once settled in.

I think anyone living overseas for an extended time goes through a few phases upon return (I wouldn't know as I have yet to do it, but feel my day is coming soon) - much like those phases of arriving in a new country.

Plus it's been a year or so since SE left, that's enough time to have it all sink in.
Yeah it is nice to read I'm-back-home reports from RobSg and FaeLLe. Waiting for the rest to do so.
I've been back home for a year and a couple of months. I wish I were back in Asia. Several reasons:

a) I'm just one more old white guy back in the USA. Ageism is rampant in the hiring process. I've been an excellent fit for at least 3 major positions, and after the face to face, I never hear from anyone again. I see 35 and 40 year old guys react with fear that I'd be a better leader in their domain than they would.

b) I'm in Texas... home of the tea party yahoos... the racism and white privilege is rampant... just the other day had one guy tell me that he "hates Negro lovers". Yes, I know that Singapore has racist elements, but nothing like the overt racism that continues to exist in the south.

c) I'm in Houston... third world roads and infrastructure. Why? Because the tea party types and small government extremists choke off any attempt to repair roads, to fix bridges, to provide for parks. Seriously, Houston is a shit city in this respect... no sidewalks in most places, either. I guarantee you the roads are better in any city in Laos than they are here.

d) I'm in the thick of religious extremists... anti-gay, anti-contraception, anti abortion, anti compassion, anti woman, anti-education... anti anything that might upset their rigidly held belief system. They stick their noses in every last godd*mn political issue, creating nothing but divisiveness.

e) Highly aggressive drivers... sure, Singapore may be filled with "blur" people and lots of carrots... but you've got the kind of idiots here that pull out simply because they don't care if you have to slam on your brakes. You've got the morons that absolutely must race to get in front of you, jam their way into line, in order to save two seconds. I always remained calm in Singapore traffic... the urge to kill in Houston has run high.

I miss the clean, well maintained infrastructure of Singapore. I miss grabbing a ferry and going to Batam for a day of golf. I miss the weekend (or multiple day) jaunts to all sorts of places in Asia. I miss the unique flavor that is Singapore and Asia. I've been pretty teflon like when it comes to the shittier parts of Singapore life... I just engage. I'm glad that the religious pricks, the tea party pricks, the redneck pricks (Chinese style) are relatively few and far between.

I do appreciate the fact that I see my daughter, son in law, and granddaughter with much more regularity. I'm glad I see my friends more often but sad that I no longer see my dear Singapore friends.

I appreciate the four seasons, weather wise, even if Houston's spring and fall are short lived... it is bracing to wake up to 40F or 50F temperatures.

Maybe I'd like it better if I were in another city, but then the whole point of being close to family and friends would be out the window. So... bottom line... if I could get back, I would.

I miss my Asian lifestyle, and I am not integrating well with my new American lifestyle.
Thanks for that perspective. Living here - you can see "home" through rose-coloured glasses.

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Wd40
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Post by Wd40 » Tue, 11 Mar 2014 8:59 pm

x9200 wrote:It's very different. It is for electronic parts and small components, accessories like power adapters plus some audio hardware shops and stuff related to various measurements (multimeters, oscilloscopes etc.). Practically no computers and related. Also it's much smaller and more in the old mall style.
Oh IC. Thanks for sharing. I dont think I want to go there now. During my engineering days though, I would have loved to go to places like these and buy electronic components for our college projects :) I have completely forgotten about electronics. I can vaguely remember terms like multivibrators and pulse width modulation. Whenever I need to photostat my marksheets and see the names of those subjects, I kind of wonder what those stuff even mean. I remember digital electronics and microprocessors slightly better though.

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Mi Amigo
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Post by Mi Amigo » Tue, 11 Mar 2014 9:43 pm

Wd40 wrote:I think he just got the 2 mixed up. I haven't been to SLT, but was assuming its similar to SLS?
No, I definitely meant Sim Lim Tower. SLS is OK and I've bought lots of IT stuff there over the years, but there are similar places where I am now (with fewer dishonest sharks to avoid). SLT has been a great place for me - I've had various bits of vintage hifi repaired there (at very little cost, relatively speaking), which otherwise would have ended up being scrapped or thrown away. And being able to buy discrete components, etc. was a godsend when I was repairing things myself.

There used to be quite a few electronics stores in London, but many of them have closed in recent years. Here's one that I used to frequent and whose days are now probably numbered:

http://www.ealingtoday.co.uk/default.as ... dio001.htm

@x9200: Element14 and RS Components are good too, but IMHO they are not a complete subsitute for being able to take a piece of sick electronics to SLT and discuss / test / buy the relevant parts on the spot.
Last edited by Mi Amigo on Tue, 11 Mar 2014 9:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Be careful what you wish for

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Strong Eagle
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Post by Strong Eagle » Tue, 11 Mar 2014 9:46 pm

Wd40 wrote:I think he just got the 2 mixed up. I haven't been to SLT, but was assuming its similar to SLS?

They are actually more different than similar. While there are some consumer shops for things like car audio, there are many more electrical parts shops, industrial controls, lighting, switches and connectors, and of course, the shop that repairs old tube hi-fi's.

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ecureilx
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Post by ecureilx » Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:39 pm

Strong Eagle wrote:
Wd40 wrote:I think he just got the 2 mixed up. I haven't been to SLT, but was assuming its similar to SLS?

They are actually more different than similar. While there are some consumer shops for things like car audio, there are many more electrical parts shops, industrial controls, lighting, switches and connectors, and of course, the shop that repairs old tube hi-fi's.
spectrum anlysers, satellite receivers, hf kit, frequency convertors ... some of the stuff I have picked up in SLT ... :)

plus some Sony broadcast third party spares, Beta Max heads ....

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zzm9980
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Post by zzm9980 » Wed, 12 Mar 2014 4:26 am

sundaymorningstaple wrote:You have a pretty good sweet tooth don't you. My 12 years in Indonesia found a liking for the same. Haven't had any in a very long time though. :(
Yep. There's only two reasons to go to Jakarta IMO, Martabak Manis on Japan Pecenongan and... relaxing environments. :)

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zzm9980
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Post by zzm9980 » Wed, 12 Mar 2014 4:26 am

Primrose Hill wrote:
zzm9980 wrote: But I'll make this genuine offer: If anyone comes to San Francisco I'll pay ~$50/kg for fresh mao shan wang durian. Or coklat+keju Martabak Manis.
Really? :lol: :lol:
Yes. Let me know if you're bringing any. I'll meet you at the airport and even drive you to your hotel also.

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Post by Primrose Hill » Wed, 12 Mar 2014 10:49 am

zzm9980 wrote:
Primrose Hill wrote:
zzm9980 wrote: But I'll make this genuine offer: If anyone comes to San Francisco I'll pay ~$50/kg for fresh mao shan wang durian. Or coklat+keju Martabak Manis.
Really? :lol: :lol:
Yes. Let me know if you're bringing any. I'll meet you at the airport and even drive you to your hotel also.
Deal

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Brah
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Post by Brah » Sat, 15 Mar 2014 12:29 pm

Just checked this thread as I rarely visit this forum any more and good to see the responses.

Wow SE, you've confirmed some of my concerns, as we have discussed here and offline. I keep thinking that it's finally getting better back home, but now I've got ageism to contend with along with all the stories of former professionals vying for part time roles at Mall stores and not making enough to make ends meet.

If it were me on the other side of the desk when you came in I'd hire you over two guys half your age. The 'system', or whatever it is, is effed.

But then, I read Mi Amigo's post and I'm back to Square One.

BedokAmerican, I will PM you; zzm, will be in touch, am very keen to hear more, either from personal or second-hand experience. Sheesh, it can't be all that bad. I hope.

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